VT Seva Detroit Youth Board successfully wrapped up 2021 by completing their goal of implementing at least one project each month which is initated by youth. In 4th quarter they completed 6 projects o Student – 4 – Student Outreach Project o Candy Drive o Eyeglass Drive o Book Drive o Salvation Army Bell Ringing o Rise to Equality Poster Video created by youth volunteer Harish . Student – 4 – Student OutreachProject: VT Seva Detroit Youth Board raised money by creating awareness of VT Seva who are not aware of VT Seva and its causes. This year 28 students participated and raised money for 28 students in Nethra Vidyalaya Schools. 170 donors donated $10,450. Please visit the blog for more details and video. Project idea was proposed by youth volunteer Harish . https://www.vtsworld.org/post/vt-seva-detroit-youth-board-2nd-outreach-2021 Candy Drive: 𝑯𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 is the fun time for the children to go out for Trick-or-Treat in their costumes with friends and count the candies they collected and securing their favorite ones. Our Youth Board members went for Trick-or-Treat rather saving the collected candies for themselves, they donated it to the deployed troops through "𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲" a non-profit organization that sends care packages filled with snacks, entertainment, hygiene and handmade items to 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘀, 𝗩𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀, 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗪𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝘀, 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗨.𝗦. 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀. Local Dentistry in Livonia collects the candy and send it to Operation Gratitude. 11 Youth Board members from different cities collected and donated 42 pounds of candies to the deployed troops. Youth Board Members donated : Hiba, Rashmitha, Siddharth, Sathvik, Veeksha, Abhinav S, Anuraag, Srihari A, Nikhil S, Harish & Oviya Adult volunteers : Lavanya, Vanitha, Zahara and Priya https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/5194988527194801 Eyeglass Drive: Youth Board Member 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶 Proposed the idea Eye Glass Drive as part of their November month Project 22 youth board members collected 72 prescription eye glasses Rishi & Shruthi collected 24 eye glasses by canvassing in their neighborhood. Eye glassess were donated at Eyeglass World . Lions club partner with Eyeglass world in collecting them. Used eyeglasses that are collected by Lions and other volunteers are recycled at one of ten Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centers throughout the world. The used eyeglasses are cleaned, repaired and classified by prescription. The eyeglasses are then distributed to those in need by Lion volunteers and other organizations hosting optical missions in developing countries Thanks to Rishi for proposing this idea and all the youth board members who participated in this project. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘆𝗲 𝗴𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲: Rishi, Shruthi, Srihari A, Anuraag, Anvika, Sreenika, Saisha , Shreya, Abhinav S, Abisrishti, Hiba, Rohan, Rashmitha, Nikhil A, Teja, Arya, Sidharth, Sathvik, Sai Sriram, Kaavya, Oviya & Harish 𝗔𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Sripriya, Srinath, Vanitha, Nalini & Priya https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/5292530994107220 Book Drive: We've collected 450+ books. This is the first time that Goodwill Store get a collection of books from a group of youths and getting books in high volume. These books will definitely help the children in need. Thanks to Amogh for bringing in this project and working with Goodwill. Thanks to Amogh, Kaavya and Harish to visit Goodwill and helping with book drop off. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞: Abhinav S, Abishristi, Adi, Akshay, Ananya Sankar, Amogh, Anuraag, Anvika, Chakrika, Harish, Hiba, Hrudya, Ish, Kaavya, Kalki, Kushal, Nikhil A, Nitya Sankar, Oviya, Pranav M, Rashmitha, Rishi, Sai Sriram, Saisha, Sanjana, Sanjith, Sathvik, Shruthi, Siddharth, Sreenika, Srihari A, Srihari H, Supraja, Sveya, Udhayaa, Veena, Yug 𝐀𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬: Sripriya, Architha, Giri, Srinath & Priya https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/5412863228740662 Salvation Army Bell Ringing VT Seva Detroit Youth Board Members making the change happen by ringing the bell for Salvation Army. 3 days (12/20, 12/21& 12/23), 8 youth volunteers rang the bell and impacted the the lives of neighbors by helping them in their time of need. They not only rang the bell, they sang songs and played christmas music in their instruments. This project was proposed and led by the youth volunteer Harish . 𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒉 - 𝑭𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒆 𝑺𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉 - 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝑺𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒚𝒂 - 𝑪𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐 𝑯𝒊𝒃𝒂 - 𝑽𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒏 & 𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑨𝒌𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒚 - 𝑽𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒏 𝑶𝒗𝒊𝒚𝒂 - 𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈 Each year, The Salvation Army will serve more than 25 million people across America – including many here in your community. That means 55+ million meals for the hungry, 10+ million nights of shelter for the homeless, and countless Christmas gifts for children who may otherwise go without. So truly, you can make a difference with every ring. The funds you raise as a Salvation Army bell ringer will make a year-round impact in your community through social services assistance, homeless shelters, disaster relief, children’s programs, rehabilitation services, anti-human trafficking, and more. Youth Volunteers : Harish, Siddharth, Kaavya, Sravya, Pranav T, Hiba, Akshay & Oviya. Adult Volunteer : Priya https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/5387426054617713 Rise to Equality Poster: VT Seva Detroit Youth Board collaborated with JET MI in creating the posters about the leaders who stood up for equality to honor the commomeration of Statue of Equality. These flyers will be posted in social media. Youths who participated in poster creation : Oviya, Jethri, Pavan, Abisrishti, Kaustubh, Advaith, Harish, Hiba, Siddharth, Rashmitha, Akshay, Udhayaa & Nikhil Adult Volunteer : Priya Thanks to all the wonderful volunteers & donors who made this year 2021 successful. Watch this video to recap the memories from all the projects in 2021. Video created by Priya. Blog Consolidated By: Youth Board Member Oviya Jaisankar Blog Published By: VTSeva Detroit Comm volunteer Nandini Cheemalamarri

After a very busy school year, summer break is time to relax. VT Seva Detroit Youth Board used their summer vacation not only for relaxing but helping others in te community and learnt about their history. The team implemented 5 projects this summer 1. Brilliant Detroit Reading Program 2. Manoogian Manor Senior Center Visits 3. Walkathon 4. Tribute to Bharath 5. Essential Workers Appreciation Project 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗶𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿 am Brilliant Detroit is dedicated to building kid success families and neighborhoods where families with children 0-8 have what they need to be school ready, healthy and stable. During the COVID-19 pandemic BD created a program called "𝗩𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿" where the volunteers will record the story book and send the videos to BD and these videos will go on a playlist that can only be exclusively accessed by families who live and participate in the Brilliant Detroit kid success neighborhoods. There are 11 Brilliant Detroit community centers located throughout neighborhoods in Detroit full of families who benefit from programming aimed to increase the literacy rate of these children. This helps the children who are learning from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. VT Seva Detroit Youth Board partnered with Brilliant Detroit and created 87 videos. Youth Board Member Abhinav S coordinated with Brilliant Detroit to make it happen. This was a great summer project for all of the youths who participated to give back to community by supporting the kids education. 27 Youth Board members created 87 videos. YB Members Participated in this project are: 𝗔𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗮, 𝗔𝗯𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘃, 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗷𝗮𝗻𝗮, 𝗔𝗺𝗼𝗴𝗵, 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗻, 𝗘𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗮, 𝗡𝗶𝗸𝗵𝗶𝗹, 𝗡𝗶𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗻, 𝗥𝗼𝗵𝗮𝗻, 𝗦𝗿𝗮𝘃𝘆𝗮, 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝘂𝗻, 𝗨𝗱𝗵𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗮, 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗱, 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗵𝗮, 𝗡𝗲𝗵𝗮, 𝗦𝗿𝗶𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶 𝗛, 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶, 𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗧, 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵, 𝗛𝗶𝗯𝗮, 𝗞𝗮𝗮𝘃𝘆𝗮, 𝗢𝘃𝗶𝘆𝗮, 𝗥𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗮, 𝗦𝗮𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗿𝗮, 𝗦𝗮𝗶 𝗦𝗿𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗺, 𝗦𝗵𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗶 Please visit tinyurl.com/brilliantstorytime to see the published videos. Awesome job all the youth board members who participated in this project Brilliant Detroit video project created by: Abhinav S Please watch the video about this project Manoogian Manor Senior Center Visit In May, VTS Detroit YB members wrote Mother's Day and Father's Day cards for three different senior centers, including Manoogian Manor. Manoogian Manor Senior Center was impressed with the cards and reached out to Harish who initiated the Greeting Card projects and invited the Youth Board members to attend the bonfires with seniors on the summer. Volunteers spent their time there setting up seats on the patio, handing out pop and popsicles to the residents, socializing with the residents, pushing the wheelchairs, and cleaning up the area. The seniors in Manoogian Manor thanked the Youth Board members for their time and asked for them to come back in the future. They enjoyed talking with both the youth and adult volunteers, many of them shared their life stories and their experiences at the Manoogian Manor. The volunteers all said they had a good time and it was fun to do something they've never done before. What makes people feel happy and content is different for each person and often changes over time. But, our Manoogian Manor residents is always thrilled to see us back at their premises. YB members visited them 3 times during summer, each time both the seniors and the youth board members enjoyed their conversations. Youth volunteers who visited the seniors are : Aditi(3), Advaith(1), Eesha(3), Harish(1), Kaavya(1), Niharika (1), Nikita (1), Oviya (3), Tarun (1) and Veeksha(3) Adult volunteers who visited the seniors are : Vani (3), Srinath (1), Priya(3), Vanitha (1) Manoogian Manor Senior Center Visits video created by: Veeksha Please watch the video about their senior center visits. Walkathon The VT Seva Detroit Youth Board initiated their first-ever charity walkathon in 2021. Not only was it a first for our group, but it was also a hybrid walkathon, taking place both virtually and in person. 29 team members 162 participants, 43 days walked more than 20 Million steps (1000+ miles) All the proceeds from this event were donated to Angels of Hope and VT Seva Bharath . It was a very successful Walkathon, raised $3214 and splitted equally with both organizations. For more details and pictures please visit https://www.vtsworld.org/post/vt-seva-detroit-youth-board-initiated-first-walkathon Tribute to Bharath On August 15, 2021 , India celebrated its 75th Independence Day . British traders had established outposts in the Indian subcontinent by the 17th century. Through overwhelming military strength, the East India Company fought and annexed local kingdoms and established themselves as the dominant force in India by the 18th century. Oviya , a member of the Detroit youth board , proposed this project as a way to pay homage to those responsible for India’s independence. This was liked by many branches and became a national project. Atlanta, Austin, the Bay Area, and Cary youth team joined the Detroit team in appreciating these freedom fighters on the anniversary of India’s independence. 31 Youth Board members learned about 31 leaders and created 31 informational poster and posted it for whole month of August Youth Board members who participated in this project are: Oviya Jaisankar, Harish Jaisankar, Rashmita Raghunathan, Rachana Raghunathan, Anand Brijesh, Sravya Saranu, Hiba Zyna, Sai Sri Ram Karnati, Veeksha Somula, Abhinav Suresh, Eesha Chigullapally, Kaustubh Dingari, Udhayaa Arul, Ishani Shetty, Pavan Nagaraj, Srihari Hebbar, Rohan Patil, Amogh Pisipati, Aditi Jethri Kompally, Hrudya Kishore, Nikita Talwar, Sanjay Sundarapandiyan, Nirvan Daram, Kalki Renga Anand, Adhvaith Suresh, Eashan Daram, Pranav Maringanti, Adhip Pisipati, Shruthi Adduri, Siddharth Tirumala Kanduri and Niharika prabhu Tribute to Bharath project video created by: Oviya Please watch the video about Tribute to Bharath project at For more details about this project please visit https://www.vtsworld.org/post/tribute-to-bharath Essential Workers Appreciation Project: VT Seva Detroit Youth Board members celebrated this labor day by expressing their appreciation to the essential workers who makes our life goes smoothly every day even during the pandemic. Either rain or shine, pandemic or non pandemic, we all got our mails, we all got our trash picked up, we all got our groceries, all of our kids went to school by bus. Can't even imaginge not having any of those services accessible to us. They came to our door steps to provide services to us. Our YB members gave thank you notes to 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘂𝗽𝗖𝗿𝗲𝘄, 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗸𝘀, 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀, 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀, 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘄 and many more 𝟯𝟰 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 surprised the essential workers by giving thank you notes, choclates, gifts and gift cards to all the essential workers. They did made a change in their life, workers were so grateful to be appreciated. Some workers even had a tears of joy. This project taught our YB members the value of Gratitude and how much it impacts the giver and receiver positively. All the members who participated in this project was really happy for the opportunity and start noticing whats around them Youth Volunteers : Oviya, Harish, Sravya, Eesha, Rachana, Kaavya, Sai, Hiba, Rashmitha, Advaith, Chakrika, Abhinav, Saisha, Udhayaa, Srihari A, Anurag, Sai Sahasra, Shruthi, Rishi, Nitya, Aditya, Ananya, Kausthubh Amogh, Pranav M, Dhruthi, Teja, Arya, Siddharth, Ishani, Akshay, Varshini, Aneeshwa, and Vibha Essential Workers Appreciation Project video created by: Siddharth Please watch the video about this project Newsletter Consolidated by: Harish Jaisankar Published by : Nandini Cheemalamarri (VTSeva Detroit Communications)

“The Youths of Today are the leaders of tomorrow” - Nelson Mandela Good Communication is one of the core leadership skills. One should be able to express their ideas and be able to speak up for others to be a leader. In this modern world, people want everything fast. In a short period of time we should be able to explain and convince our ideas to the world. This competition is designed for that, youths prepare a speech for 2 minutes on one of the topics listed below and present it to get feedback from experienced people such as teachers, Toastmasters, and senior management personnel. By participating in this competition these youths supported VT Seva’s mission and vision. Youth empowerment, this competition gave them an opportunity to express their views on the topics and by participating in it all the contributions went towards the Nethra Vidyalaya student’s education. On a fine Sunday afternoon Oct 3rd, 2021, 31 youths attended the public speaking competition and made it a successful first competition in Troy. There were 3 groups of students who participated in the competition: Group 1 : Grade 3-5 Group 2 : Grade 6-8 Group 3 : Grade 9-12 They get to pick from any one of the following 3 topics: Education is the best weapon against overcoming disability Impacts of remote learning Social effects of cyberbullying and how it can be curbed We had 4 wonderful judges who analyzed the speeches given by these youths and gave their feedback. Without them it's not possible to have a competition. Our judges were, Raju Brahmandhabheri: He is passionate about public speaking and communication skills and has been a part of Toastmaster International (the platform to improve Public speaking and leadership skills) for the last 8 years and achieved the DTM (Distinguished ToastMasters)- the highest educational award in the Toastmasters program. He is a mentor for the high school students to coach/advise/prepare them for the annual Leadership Speech Contest hosted by National Management Association(NMA). He has served as a judge on various speech contests at Toastmasters and community organization’s educational competitions( public speaking, spelling bee etc) He is currently teaching public speaking skills for the kids at Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, Livonia. By profession, he is an Electrical Engineer currently working as an Regional Engineering Manager at ITC Holdings Corp., Novi, Michigan. He also teaches Electrical Engineering classes at Lawrence Tech University, Southfield on a part time basis as an Adjunct faculty. Sriranga Seetharmachar: He is currently working at Auto Club Group (known as AAA) as Director of Data Business Intelligence and enjoys mentoring histeam to be effective communicators most, as a part of his responsibilities. He is an industrial engineer by education, and has spent the last 30 years in consulting, process improvement and fact based management for corporations. He is passionate about persuasive, compelling presentations to corporate audiences to influence fact based decisions and actions for business improvement and effectiveness. Thomas Zwolinski : He has been a member of Toastmasters International for 6 years and is currently an Area Director for Eastern Macomb County spanning 5 clubs. Prior to his role as Area Director, he served as two-term President for my current club, Macomb Motivators, and previously served as President for a corporate club at Comerica Bank. He retired in 2018 after working for over 35 years in Information Technology. He held several positions in IT from Software Development to Data Architecture and Governance. He mentors both new and existing members of Toastmasters about speaking and leadership opportunities. He has judged Toastmasters International Speech competitions in the past Joseph Verhelle: Graduated from Oakland University with a major in English w/ Secondary Education and a minor in History. He is currently working as a teacher at Troy High School. He teaches 9th and 10th grade English, along with Creative Writing. Public speaking and communication skills are key components of our state-wide curriculum and he enjoys establishing those very important skills in our youth. Architha & Priya welcomed the judges and went over the rules of the competition. VTSeva Detroit Director Srinath & VTSeva National Secretary Sudheer explained about VT Seva, Nethra Vidyalaya Schools & Tribal Schools. Greg, Chandrasekhar and Sudheer gave trophies to the winners. Thanks to Chandrasekar and Greg for sponsoring the competition and giving a hall. Thanks to Nandini (Detroit Communications) for her continuous support in publishing content provided by event leads in all our Social media channels from the start to the completion of the event. Wonderful volunteers who helped from start to end were Setup (Youth): Anvika, Sneha, Sreenika, Setup (Adult): Chandru, Jyothi, Vanitha, and Vijay Emcee: Harish Time Keepers: Venkat, Jaisankar, Sreenika Photography : Keerthi Public Speaking Committee: Priya , Archita, Chandrasekhar & Vijay Blog written by: Priya Jaisankar Blog posted by: Nandini Cheemalamarri (VTSeva Detroit Communications)

In this first of its kind event, friends and supporters of VT Seva organized a Food Stall at Liberty Park Subdivision on September 11th 2021 from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM in order to raise money for the visually challenged and tribal area school children. There was overwhelming support from enthusiastic volunteers who came forward to support in the areas of Planning, Set-up of Stalls, Cooking Equipment, Cooking, Serving & Distribution, Cash Register, Crowd Management, Safety & Security, Photography, Parking, Wrap up and cleanup. This event was very well received by the Liberty Park community and everyone pitched in with their contributions either through volunteering or through their contributions to buy food from the stalls. The response to the event really surprised everyone since it was a festive atmosphere throughout the subdivision. An estimated 300 people attended the outdoor event. This was a great opportunity to come outdoors, have a safe & delicious food made on the spot and contribute towards a great cause. We were able to raise enough money to support 10 children in total to benefit Nethra Vidhyalaya & Tribal School children with the support of great friends, family & LP community. Krishna ji, HOA lead and our hosts - Divya ji & Venkat ji, Liberty Park Residents, were extremely gracious to provide their Driveway to set up the Donation Stations, Tents and Food Stations. Their neighbors were also so kind to lend their driveways as well for any spillover stations, storage, etc. The entire Liberty Park community extended their helping hand so amazingly and embraced the event to make it their own. In the run-up to the event, Liberty Park Subdivision HOA and VT Seva Team met several times to discuss the logistics, supplies, location, volunteers, Safety precautions and menu items for the Food Stall. These pre-planning meetings were very important to ensure all the above aspects and much more are taken care within the community and the event location. There was a variety of food options – Plain Dosa, Podi Dosa, Onion Dosa, Pesaratu & Upma Dosa, Ghee Dosa, Cheese Dosa, Pongal, Kesari, Coffee, Masala Chai & Samosa. The Dosas were served with hot Sambar and Chutney as well. All the food items were sold out by 4:30 PM . At the conclusion of the event, every individual specially encouraged us to have this kind of an event every year and that they were eagerly waiting for the next one to happen soon! VT SEVA DETROIT IMMENSELY THANKS EACH & EVERY INDIVIDUAL WHO MADE THIS EVENT A GRAND SUCCESS & CONTRIBUTED TOWARDS THE CAUSE! Photos from the event: https://photos.app.goo.gl/1AxcPgx6xCY9aT4S9 𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐬𝐧𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 Blog Published By: Nandini Cheemalamarri (VTSeva Detroit Communications)

VTS DETROIT 2021 FOOD DRIVE FOR GLEANERS FOOD BANK AND CAPUCHIN SOUP KITCHEN WITH THE HELP OF KROGER NOVI STORES SOLICITATION FINISHED OFF VERY SUCCESSFULLY VT Seva Detroit has always been proud to partner with Gleaners and Capuchin Soup Kitchen in any community service initiatives. Gleaner Food Bank is committed to end Hunger in Southeast Michigan along with their partner agencies as a part of Feeding America program. “Child” & “Hunger” are the two words that should never go together. To solve this complex problem Gleaners always collaborates with other agencies to find solutions for a hunger-free community. Capuchin Soup Kitchen’s mission is to tend to people's basic needs, especially the need for food and strives to stimulate minds and nourish spirits, and works to understand & address root causes of social injustice in our community. VT Seva Detroit has partnered with these two amazing organizations in many past Food Drives and Community Initiatives and have contributed immensely towards positively impacting the local community. As a part of this Food Drive, we collected 12 Boxes of Food donations and over $682.00 in CASH for the Food Banks from generous customers who shopped today (08/22/2021) at Kroger Novi store from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Amazing help from all our wonderful volunteers who were there on all shifts and tirelessly worked for this great success. Our youth volunteers and adult volunteers had all guns blazing throughout their shift slots reaching out to all the customers, distributing flyers, speaking about VT Seva Detroit and explaining the reason behind the food drive. They were spot on with their impeccable customer friendly skills and approach. We did see few people who were un-responsive towards their efforts but our Volunteers never gave up, continued to do their duties with the same energy and smile. We sincerely thank each one of these wonderful Youth and Adult volunteers who participated in the Food Drive. Youth volunteers: Sai Karnati, Sai Sahasra, Aditi, Hiba, Kaustubh, Pranav M, Dhruthi, Rashmitha ,Anand, Siddharth Adult volunteers: Srinath ji, Srivardhan ji, Nivedhita ji , Zahara ji, Vamshi ji, Raghunath ji, Suresh ji, Brijesh ji , Asha ji, Vanitha Amazing 👏👌 help by Brijesh ji, Suresh, Zahara ji, Raghunath ji , Asha ji in making boxes, sorting, packing, loading , unloading boxes Amazing help by Srinath ji , Srivardhan ji , Nivedhita ji, Vamshi ji in making boxes, sorting, packing during the morning hours till noon🙏 Special shout out to Asha ji for going home in-between of her volunteering shift at 4:00 pm to make some refreshing Masala Chai for Adult volunteers and treating our Youth volunteers with Lemonade, & Cup Cakes. After the collection, the Gleaners Food Bank associate drove all the way to our coordinator’s residence and picked up the food donation boxes & he was so appreciative and whole heartedly thanked for our efforts. We also delivered the remaining food donations boxes to Capuchin Kitchen Services, Detroit. Pastor Dijan was very kind to appreciate our efforts. We take this opportunity to also sincerely thank Kroger Corporate Executive, Stacy for approving VT Seva Detroit solicitation application and granting Novi Store to do food drive for Metro Detroit foodbanks to alleviate hunger in many families across Michigan. We plan on continuing to do the food drive every year with the help of Kroger. We received the below appreciation emails from Gleaners Food Bank! Thanks so much to you and all of VT Seva Detroit! You all make such a difference in our community. We very much appreciate the wonderful support we receive from VT Seva Detroit – you all have been such longtime and wonderful supporters! Thank you for organizing a food drive to benefit Gleaners Denise M. Leduc Director of Volunteer Services & Partner Support Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan Blog created by: Vanitha Gopalan Blog published by: Nandini Cheemalamarri (Detroit Communications) Thank you Detroit Communications for your support in Social Media updates. Thank you letter from Gleaners Food Bank. Please visit our Facebook Page for more info. https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/4960791387281184 Please Like, share to promote VTSeva Detroit efforts. Blog Published By: Nandini Cheemalamarri (VTSeva Detroit Communications)

𝐕𝐓 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐚 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐭 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭s 𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, 𝐌𝐈 June 19, July 28th 2021 About Crossroads Community Garden: Crossroads Community Garden is owned by the Crossroads Presbyterian Church in Walled Lake. Crossroads Community Garden provides all their organically grown vegetables for the Hospitality House Food bank and others in need. They have a huge community garden whereby they let anyone willing to grow their own garden in or more garden plots. They will provide the land and water. Also, there is another way that one can join the fun to work in the community sections of their garden. One can volunteer to plant a whole assortment of fruits and vegetables from cabbage to zucchini. They will lay out a to be done list for each day so we just go and help them out in their gardening efforts towards supporting the Hospitality House Food Bank and other food banks. VT Seva Detroit Volunteers collaborated with them and got this wonderful opportunity to help their community garden & help for their good cause for the Hospitality House Food Bank. VT Seva Detroit 1st Event at Crossroads Community Garden on 06/19/2021 from 10 am to 12 pm. We helped Bobby and her associate in planting Butternut Squash, Buttercup/Winter Squash, clear out weeds, and till the ground using Rototiller. It was perfect weather to work outdoors in the garden until it started drizzling by the time we finished off all the assigned tasks. It was quite an enriching experience for all the youth & adult volunteers to learn how to till, make mounds to sow seeds using all the different garden tools. All in all, we had a great time outdoors helping the community. The produce from the garden will go to Hospitality House Food Bank in Walled Lake, Michigan where they will be distributed to those in need while maintaining the utmost respect for the dignity of the individuals. These are our volunteers who came and helped today. Youth Eashan Daram Nirvan Daram Rohan Patil Rashmita Raghunathan Shrikha Atchutuni Yug Patel Adult Savita Patil Manisha Daram Suresh Rajan Vanitha Gopalan All in All it was a great day serving outdoors doing gardening for Crossroads Community Garden, Walled Lake, MI. VT Seva Detroit 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟴𝘁𝗵, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭 What a great evening spent volunteering outdoors from 6pm to 8 pm sweating, toiling and getting hands dirty by 12 of our wonderful youth and adult VT Seva Detroit Volunteers at the Crossroads Community Garden, owned by the Crossroads Presbyterian Church in Walled Lake, MI. Our Group helped planting Bush Beans, Early Cabbage, Weeded out a lot of weeds, trimmed and pruned down all eggplants plants ; sprayed organic fertilizers to all plants; Rototilled the soil & mowed the lawn and finally helped them at the end in organizing their garden tools and cleanup activities. It was quite an enriching experience to all our youth & adult volunteers and everyone enjoyed working as a group outdoors. Bobbie and her associates were full of praise about our awesome YOUTH and amazing adult volunteers for their efforts. These are our wonderful volunteers who came and helped today. Youth volunteers Anand, Hrudya, Hiba, Srihari H, Rohan, Abhinav, Yug. Adult volunteers Savita ji, Asha ji, Bhanu ji, Kishore ji, Vanitha Zahara ji & Phani ji were gracious enough to stop by for few minutes and encourage all our youth volunteers during the event. These are some of the feedbacks which we got from Bobbie at Crossroads Community Garden. “Please tell your volunteers that the beans they planted have sprouted and still protected with the wire fence. The eggplants are doing well thanks to your volunteers. And the weeds are down - also thanks to your volunteers. The green peppers, basil, potatoes, onions, and eggplants are all safe from the deer (so far). We will harvest these during August. We brought green peppers and basil to the Hospitality House - totaling almost 20 pounds.” We really appreciate all our wonderful VT Seva Detroit Volunteers who all participated for their time and help at the community garden. The vegetables grown were all distributed to the Hospitality Habitat Foodbank at Walled lake. We are also looking forward for any Fall cleanup activities with them later this year and continue our services next year as well. Thank you very much Crossroads Community Garden for giving us this opportunity. Blog created by: Vanitha Gopalan Blog published by: Nandini Cheemalamarri (Detroit Communications) Thank you our Detroit Communication Team for your support in publishing our blogs in FB and Websites. Please visit VT Seva Detroit Facebook page for more events, like and share to promote VT Seva activities. https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/4766764396683885 https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/4897578726935784 Blog Published By: Nandini Cheemalamarri (VTSeva Detroit Communications)

VT Seva Detroit conducted its first-ever Chess Camp . Youth Board member Tarun is passionate about Chess, participated in many tournaments and won them in State level competitions and is a leader in his Chess club. He wanted to help Nethra Vidyalaya kids with his passion. Tarun conducted our 1st ever chess camp online from Aug 2nd to Aug 4th, 2021. Tarun has his own website “ Need4Needy.org ”; he created the registration page on his website for this camp. Thanks to Harish for creating a flyer for this camp. 9 students registered and learned chess curiously. They were all enjoying the class thoroughly and liked to continue learning and playing chess. This camp did create a spark in them. All 9 participants were joining the camp each day happily and explored the tools and learned the techniques. Tarun was able to raise $365 which will help one student’s education for a year. VT Seva Detroit Youth Board thanks Tarun’s passion and contribution and would like to extend the thanks to Tarun’s mom Sowmiya & dad Rajesh also for their support from the beginning to the end of this camp. Thanks to our Detroit Communications team (Nandini) for her support in publishing content provided by event leads in all our Social media channels ( Whatsapp, Facebook, VTSworld Blogs, and Event logs) from start to the completion of the event. Message from camp organizer Tarun: Hello! My name is Tarun Rajesh and I’m going to be an incoming junior at International Academy East . I held a chess camp during the summer of 2021 in order to teach some of the basic fundamentals of chess of all ages. There were approximately 10 kids and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. This camp was held for three days with interactive quizzes and puzzles and collected $365 and the collected money was donated through VT Seva to Nethravidyala schools in India. I chose Nethravidyala , specifically, because these blind children don’t have many opportunities to live a successful life. Last summer, I held a similar chess camp and displayed all the details on my website: Need4needy.org. I still remember me as a 7 year old being introduced to the game of chess. I wish I could relive those moments and see how far I have come, but I know that I wouldn’t be the man I am today without chess. Lastly, I would like to thank VT Seva during this process and I hope to impact the community in other ways as well. Thanks, Tarun Blog Created By Priya Jaisankar Blog Published By Nandini Cheemalamarri (VTSeva Detroit Communications)

2021 VT SEVA DETROIT: SOCCER FOR A CAUSE We had a very successful 1st VT Seva Detroit Soccer Tournament back in 2019. But 2020 proved to be a real disappointment with the extended hiatus. Nevertheless, it was time to dust off the cleats and get onto the field once again in 2021!! VT Seva Detroit organized a boarded indoor fundraising soccer tournament at Total Sports Novi (East), MI on July 18th 2021 to benefit the blind and visually challenged children in India. Like past years we had 3 different groups: - Group 1: 6 to 9 years’ old - Group 2: 10 to 13 years’ old - Group 3: 14 and above We had around 40 registrants until a week before the event and the organizing team was still struggling to make up teams. Then in the last week, we had 2 Adult teams registering and several more eagerly registered to complete 67 registrations in total. During the run-up to the event, VT Seva Detroit Team members were ‘all guns blazing’ in all departments. To list a few: Promotions – Our Youth & Adult Volunteers did an amazing job in promoting the event. Apart from reaching out to the past participants via email, phone, and voicemails and new participants via distribution list and MIindia, we had several outreach sessions at Total Sports Novi, Vani Foods, India Grocers, Sai Grocers – Farmington and Novi and also pasted Flyers at different important locations throughout. You can view more pictures from the Event Promotions here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/mUVeM4mFh3V3V7Tp9 Volunteers who participated in the promotion events: Event Sponsors – Sudhakar ji , our own VT Seva Senior Adviser/Mentor & Vidhya ji of Vani Foods were so kind enough to Sponsor the Venue, Medals and Trophies. Sudhakar ji has always blessed our VT Seva Detroit team with their constant support & encouragement by physically volunteering in-person & financially Sponsoring several events regularly throughout the years. Vijitha ji of Vani Foods came forward to Sponsor after listening to the great cause this event was being conducted for. She also graciously offered us her Storefront Parking Lot for any future VT Seva Events. Thank you so much Vijitha ji! Venue - Total Sports – It would be an injustice if we don’t mention Bryan Bartig, Total Sports Facilities Manager, and his associate Michelle. They were simply amazing and without their help and support, it would not have been possible. Right from when we decided to go for our 1st in-person sports event after the long break, Bryan and the team were so appreciative of the cause and promised to go all the way to help us organize this. The earlier managers were no longer working at TS hence we had to work with the new team all over again. They not only subsidized the Venue fees for us but went above & beyond to help us so easily organize the logistics. Food Sponsors/Coordinators – What more could have one asked for during the break time at the Food Stall with mouth-watering delicacies: - Mint Rice, BisibelaBath, Chocolate Cake, Samosas, Pizzas, Mango Lassi, Masala Chai, Ice Cream, etc. beckoned the participants, visitors and volunteers to have lunch, snack & dessert at a very nominal price. Thank you so much to Nandhini ji, Asha ji, Veena ji, Jyoti ji, Vanitha ji & all the food stall volunteers who provided us with amazing food and beverages. All the proceeds from the food stall also went to Nethra Vidyalaya Schools. Event Volunteers - We had over 35 Youth & Adult Volunteers working enthusiastically in different departments during the event. Right from the setting up of desks & chairs for check-in, arranging the food items, coolers, putting up banners, Café price tags, setting up soccer cones/nets for the younger kid’s games, ensuring the players are on the right teams, Photography and clean up. Referees - Our in-house referees Darshan ji and Abhinav are the coolest!! We can always depend on them to referee the games every year and they both oblige us without even a second thought. Special thank you to both of you! Teams & Winners – We had an amazing Game Roster and Schedule this year with several first time youth players, two new High School Teams, and two new Adult League Teams from Utica. Group 1 (6 to 9 years’ old): Had 10 players that were placed in 2 different teams Yellow & Green to verse against each other in there 10 min. games. The kids had super fun time playing and scoring against each other in a friendly competitive kids Soccer game. Group 2 (10 to 13 years’ old): Twelve players were matched up against each other depending on their different skill levels in Red vs Blue teams. Superb demonstration of soccer skills amongst the players made up for an interesting three 15 min. sections of the game. All players from Group 1 & 2 received Medals and Trophies for their fantastic performance on the field. Group 3 (14 and above): The second half of the day became more intense with the Group 3 games. 2 Adults team, 2 High School Teams and 2 League Teams faced off against each other in the group matches. All the games were high energy games with friendly competition between each other. Final: OHWTF #1 Vs. OHWTF#2 Winners were OHWTF #2 Special Mention – We had one energetic person who stood out and acted as an inspiration to forming All Women Soccer team for next year’s event. It was none other than Zahara ji . She was the only Adult Female Player who took part in the Soccer Games and what an amazing Defender she was!!! Special Surprise Guest – We had a super surprise special Guest during our 2nd Soccer Event. It was none other than Ford Motors CEO – Mr. Jim Farley, who happened to be there. He was gracious enough to talk to us regarding our Organization, Cause and the Event. He congratulated all of us and gave a Photo opportunity as well!! Guest of Honor – Our guest of honor Sudhakar ji, was kind enough to stay for the entire event and present the Trophies and Medals to the participants. He has always been our mentor, core volunteer and key adviser for all the events. Treasurer, National Secretary & Detroit Director – Our driving force have always been Anand ji, Sudheer ji and Srinath ji who have become the three pillars of VT Seva Detroit branch without whom any event will not be a success and so was Soccer. Right from idea initiation to clean-up and wrap-up, these three individuals have been a constant force of strength and support. WAY TO GO & THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Volunteering Coordinator/Game & Event Coordinators – Vanitha - Volunteering coordinator & Venkat & Suresh - Game & Event Coordinators – like in 2019, the coordinators met frequently during the run-up to the event, burnt the mid-night oil, extreme planning and execution till the end. Detroit Communications – Nandini, for her support in publishing content provided by event leads in all our Social media channels ( Youtube, Whatsapp, Facebook, VTSworld Blogs, and Event logs) from start to the completion of the event. In the end, it turned out to be a fruitful success for the hours of preparation that was put in. CONSOLIDATED PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE EVENT ARE AVAILABLE AT: https://photos.app.goo.gl/E9mmK263B7Wo1fHGA *** All COVID-19 protocols were in place as per MDHHS & the venue's rules & regulations during the event. *** Please visit our Facebook page for more information, like & share to promote VT Seva activities. https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/4833849193308738 Blog Published By: Nandini Cheemalamarri (VTSeva Detroit Communications)

In the early Spring of 2021, VT Seva Detroit started off a brand new Project – ‘ SOW A SEED EDUCATE A CHILD ’ with a vision to encourage every volunteer, be it Youth or Adults, to bring the Gardener within them out of the deep slumber of the pandemic year and spend some time outdoors planting seeds, nurturing them and in turn contribute towards a great cause of helping the Tribal & Nethra Vidyalaya School Children in their education. We had a great response from 19 Youth Volunteers who registered to take part in this eco-conscious project. The parents and adult volunteers were equally enthusiastic about this project. We had a fantastic kick-off meeting on the 11th of April 2021 to plan about the different kinds of seeds that we were planning to sow, the finer details of starter kits, types of soils, tools, watering cycles, sunlight vs. grow light, and how to care for the saplings when the weather is still cold. The plan was to get fast-growing and most saleable plants such as Squash, Beans, Okra, Cucumbers, Peas, Eggplant and Tulsi. All the seeds were pre-planted in starter kits before they were distributed to the participants. Once the seeds started germinating and saplings started turning up under the indoor grow light conditions, they were picked up by the participants and nurtured in their homes. During our 3 subsequent meetings, the Youth participants eagerly showed the growth of their plants on a regular basis and were really excited to take the next steps of selling them to raise money for the cause. Youth volunteers encouraged by their parents, did an AMAZING JOB in marketing their plants to their neighbors, teachers, friends and family members explaining about the great cause of this project and how all the proceeds from the sale of plants would go directly to towards the education of visually challenged children of Nethra Vidyalaya and Tribal Schools. Almost all the plants were sold except for few that did not survive. At the conclusion of this project in June, our 19 participants raised over $600.00 by selling their plants as a part of this unique hands-on project. This was quite a learning experience for everyone. Youth and Adults enjoyed every bit of this project and are eager to grow more plants in their backyards. The Youth Volunteers wanted to express their experience through a quick video blog. 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐕𝐓𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐚 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐭 𝐒𝐨𝐰 𝐚 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐚 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝟏.𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐯 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢 𝟐.𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐣𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝟑.𝐓𝐞𝐣𝐚 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢 𝟒.𝐀𝐫𝐲𝐚 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢 𝟓.𝐎𝐯𝐢𝐲𝐚 𝐉𝐚𝐢𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐚𝐫 𝟔.𝐀𝐛𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐯 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝟕.𝐒𝐚𝐢 𝐒𝐫𝐢 𝐑𝐚𝐦 𝟖.𝐒𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐤𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝟗.𝐇𝐫𝐮𝐝𝐲𝐚 𝟏𝟎.𝐊𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢 𝐑𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐧 𝟏𝟏.𝐍𝐢𝐤𝐡𝐢𝐥 𝐀𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐢 𝟏𝟐.𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐍𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐚 𝟏𝟑.𝐀𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢 𝟏𝟒.𝐒𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐲𝐚 𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐮 𝟏𝟓.𝐀𝐝𝐡𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝟏𝟔.𝐘𝐮𝐠 𝟏𝟕,𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐉𝐚𝐢𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐚𝐫 𝟏𝟖.𝐒𝐫𝐢𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢 Ananthalwan 𝟏𝟗.𝐑𝐨𝐡𝐚𝐧 Don’t miss to watch this 3.5 mins video compilation of their project culmination: Please see our Facebook page for more photographs, like, and share. https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/4900815513278772 Blog Published By: Nandini Cheemalamarri (VTSeva Detroit Communications)

Penrickton Center is a private non-profit organization that provides care and support to blind, multi-disabled children and their families.Penrickton Center for Blind Children provides services to families at no charge, and relies entirely on donations from the community. Throughout the year Penrickton Center sends out requests for donations, and invitations to raise funds . VT Seva Detroit volunteers got this opportunity to help them assemble their Mailing Supplies items in envelopes as per their directions for their fund raising purposes. FIRST BATCH MAILING SUPPLIES PROJECT SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED Timeline: May 1st, 2021 to June 5th, 2021 Items Delivered: June 6th, 2021 We received 20 signups within an hour of project release in groups. The mailing supplies were picked up from the Penrickton Center, sorted and organized as 20 kits with 250 counts of each items. The kits were later distributed to volunteers to do at their homes and then to be dropped off before June 5th, 2021. We had 20 youth volunteers who participated in this remote volunteering project. Each volunteers assembled perfectly 250 envelopes with those mailing supplies items provided. On the whole we delivered around 5000 envelopes in this first batch of our Mailing Supplies Project to Penrickton Center for Blind Children. We received lots of appreciations from the Penrickton Center coordinators for this great help by our volunteers since it saves a lot of their time in doing this task before proceeding to their next step of sending these mails to all their donors. Youth volunteers who participated: Aarush Arun; Abhinav Suresh; Ananya Ramanan; Harish Jaishankar ;Ish Niranjan Patel; Ishani; Kaavya Karnati; Karthik Tilak ;Likitha Gidijala;Nikhil Aerabati; Oviya Jaishankar;Rishi Adduri;Rohan Patil; Sai Sahasra; Sai Karnati ;Saisha Srivatsan;Shreya Srivatsan;Shruthi Adduri; Siddharth Tirumala Kanduri; Tarun Rajesh This project was so successful & liked by our Volunteers that many wanted to do more of the mailing supplies. Hence we have brought in the second batch of the supplies from Penrickton Center and we will be executing that as our next remote project for Penrickton Center. SECOND BATCH MAILING SUPPLIES PROJECT Timeline: June 11, 2021 to July 2nd, 2021 After successful completion of FIRST BATCH of Mailing Supplies Project we are ready to go with our SECOND BATCH Mailing Supplies Project. The mailing supplies were picked up from the center on June 6th, 2021. 15 volunteers have already signed up for this second batch project. The supplies will be sorted, organized and will be available as kits to be picked up from our volunteer coordinator residence in Novi. The project kicked off on June 11 and July 1 st will be the due date for kit’s to be dropped off. 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭: 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡, 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐣𝐚, 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢, 𝐇𝐢𝐛𝐚, 𝐑𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐚, 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐧, 𝐍𝐢𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧, 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐣𝐚𝐲, 𝐀𝐦𝐨𝐠𝐡, 𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐤𝐚, 𝐊𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐛𝐡, 𝐔𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐚, 𝐊𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥 𝐕 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐚, 𝐓𝐞𝐣𝐚 On the whole we delivered around 4000 envelopes in this second batch of our Mailing Supplies Project to Penrickton Center for Blind Children THIRD BATCH MAILING SUPPLIES PROJECT Timeline: June 26, 2021 to July 17, 2021 Due to popularity of this remote project, we reached out to Penrickton for our Third Batch to do more help for them in assembling their mailing supplies. They were kind enough to give more kits for our volunteers to help them. The supplies were picked up on June 24th from Penrickton; the items are sorted and organized as 18 kits ready to be distributed to volunteers. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭: 𝐃𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐚 𝐑, 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐚 ,𝐘𝐮𝐠, 𝐇𝐫𝐮𝐝𝐲𝐚 , 𝐀𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐚𝐠 𝐀𝐛𝐢𝐬𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐭𝐢, 𝐒𝐫𝐢𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢 𝐇, 𝐒𝐫𝐢𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢 𝐀, 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐯 𝐌, 𝐏𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐧, 𝐀𝐫𝐲𝐚, 𝐄𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐚, 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐚, 𝐓𝐞𝐣𝐚𝐬, 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐯 𝐉, 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐯 𝐓, 𝐒𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐒, 𝐊𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢 On the whole we delivered around 4000 envelopes in this second batch of our Mailing Supplies Project to Penrickton Center for Blind Children All the mailing supplies project kits from our 2nd batch project youth volunteers and 3rd batch project youth volunteers all were sorted, organized in bins and were dropped off on July 20,2021 at Penrickton Center, Taylor, MI. On the whole, we did around 13,000 envelopes assembled including our first batch which is simply amazing work We greatly appreciate all above youth volunteer’s awesome work and their parents support to coordinate with me for picking and dropping off their kits on time. We are grateful that Penrickton Center was kind enough to give us 3 times this opportunity to help them in a big way towards their Penrickton Center fundraising efforts to support Blind Children. We are also looking forward to visit their special ed school where their kids goes in Wyandotte sometimes next year once they open up for group visits. We would definitely continue to serve Penrickton Center every year in whatever ways we can. Please see our Facebook page for more photographs, like, and share. FIRST BATCH MAILING SUPPLIES SECOND AND THIRD BATCH MAILING SUPPLIES AS ALWAYS, YOUR SUPPORT IS OUR STRENGTH TO SERVE Blog Published By: Nandini Cheemalamarri (VTSeva Detroit Communications)

Awesome job by the team, VT Seva Detroit team successfully organized the 7th Annual Volleyball/Throwball Tournament. About 13 teams participated in the tournament for the wonderful cause - Supporting the Blind and Visually Challenged Children . Volleyball : Winners : Awesome Spikers Captain : Sriram Throwball : Winners : Detroit Champs Captain : Sirisha Sirisha ji , Vanitha ji and Arun ji (and the whole team of volunteers) for coordinating this great Tournament. A Huge shout out to our referees volunteers Shiva ji, Darshan ji , Vish ji for helping us today. 👏👏 Thank you so much to all our wonderful youth volunteers who helped today.👏👏 Amitesh , Aishani, Sanjana, Teja, Arya Amogh,Amrith ,Ishaan,Hari, Yug,Surya,Abhay, Shounak and Kavya Our youth volunteers always rocks in all events. Keep it up 👍 Thank you so much Sudhakar ji , Prema ji , Jyothi Sudheer ji , Nandhini ji , Venkat Ji , Rajiv ji Sreenivas ji , and Jyothi Srinath ji for all your great help today. A special thanks to food sponsors Madhavi Sudhakar Kolluri ji, VT Seva started this Tournament in 2013 Making successful every year .... It's all because of the supporters ... Again Thank you all the volunteers , participants ,parents and all other who supported us for this cause ... Blog Published By: Nandini Cheemalamarri (VTSeva Detroit Communications)

What happens when you combine the irresisitible appeal of donuts with a hearftfeltmission to fight hunger? Sudheeshna Nune, the Youth Lead of VT Seva's Chicago branch, shared these thoughts about her experience with the fundraising effort she led in Chicago. The Vision VT Seva is an organization driven by compassion and a commitment to service in areas such as healthcare, education, and humanitarian aid. One of its core programs,  Feeding Hope , focuses on providing nutritious meals to blind and underprivileged students in schools and colleges. This initiative has made a significant impact in various regions. To expand its reach, I, as the Youth Lead of VT Seva’s Chicago branch, decided to organize a fundraiser in collaboration with Krispy Kreme. This event blended the irresistible appeal of Krispy Kreme's sweet treats with the community's desire to make a difference. Thanks to extensive outreach and tireless efforts, the event was a resounding success. The Preparation I started by seeking local partnerships willing to collaborate with VT Seva’s Chicago branch to create a donation initiative as a gesture of gratitude for our supporters. During my search, I discovered Krispy Kreme, a company renowned for its community support. They generously agreed to provide donuts at a discounted rate to those contributing to the cause. With the partnership finalized, I began planning multiple events to promote the fundraiser. Promotion To spread the word, I reached out to family, friends, and local community groups via platforms like Whatsapp and Facebook, sharing an encouraging message to support the cause by purchasing Krispy Kreme donuts. Additionally, I contacted local sports clubs, businesses, and medical offices to generate interest and gain additional supporters. These outreach efforts helped broaden our audience and increased participation in the fundraiser. Impact The program allowed many individuals to enjoy Krispy Kreme’s delicious donuts while contributing to the  Feeding Hope initiative. The funds raised provided nutritious meals to students in blind schools in India. The event not only helped the program reach a broader and more diverse audience but also raised awareness about global issues like hunger and malnutrition. Acknowledgments This fundraiser was a sweet success thanks to the unwavering support of Chicago Branch Director, Sridevi Ranga, who provided encouragement throughout the journey. Additionally, the guidance and management of Vanitha Ji helped me explore new promotional techniques, ultimately leading to a greater number of supporters. Make a Difference Yourself! If you’re inspired by this event and want to be part of the Feeding Hope movement, VT Seva invites you to join us in our ongoing efforts. Whether you're looking to volunteer, donate, or host your own fundraiser, there are countless ways to get involved and make a lasting impact. As this collaboration demonstrates, a little sweetness can go a long way when it’s paired with compassion.

Dec 7, 2024 On Dec 7th 2024 , VT Seva Atlanta youth created a memorable day for seniors at a local assisted living facility, spreading happiness and making heartfelt connections. Around 20 enthusiastic youths came together, showcasing their unique talents to entertain and engage the seniors. The program featured a variety of engaging activities like - *Performances*: Christmas carols, holiday songs, and mesmerizing dances that filled the room with festive cheer. 🎄🎄 *Interactive Fun*: Jokes, riddles, and crafting ornaments together brought laughter and joy. 😊 *Thoughtful Gestures*: Youth shared inspirational cards and thoughtful giveaways, leaving seniors touched by their kindness. The highlight of the event was the seniors’ active participation. Toward the end, they joined the youth in singing Jingle Bells, 🔔 🔔 clapping, and laughing, creating a warm family-like atmosphere. This initiative by VT Seva Atlanta beautifully exemplifies the power of community service, showcasing how small acts of kindness can touch hearts and build lasting memories. ❤️ Feb 11, 2024 Atlanta VT Seva youths had a great day on Feb 11, 2024 with the seniors of Phoenix Assisted living. Our youths played bingo games, listened to their stories, made them laugh, and played kick ball & ballon throws with them. It’s a gratifying and fulfilling experience for us today! Dec 3,2023 On December 3, 2023 Atlanta's VT Seva youth & adult volunteers, visited senior living home. A team of enthusiastic youth volunteers spread holiday cheer and spend meaningful time with the senior citizens. The agenda centered around engaging the seniors in various activities, fostering a joyous atmosphere in celebration of the holiday season. During the visit, the VT Seva youths engaged the senior citizens in lively bingo games, offering companionship and building relationships. A delightful musical presentation followed, featuring renditions of festive tunes such as "Jingle Bell" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," performed by the youthful ensemble. Additionally, our youth played the piano, keyboard, and saxophone, and created a medley of holiday compositions. Expressing their heartfelt sentiments, the volunteers distributed thank you cards, happy holiday cards, and bookmarks, extending warm wishes and appreciation to the seniors and staff for the enjoyable and meaningful time spent together. It was a gratifying event for the VT Seva Team!

Join us for a Delightful Evening in Celebration of the Spirit of Giving!! VT SEVA HOUSTON ANNUAL FUNDRAISER "Giving is the greatest act of grace." VT Seva Houston is thrilled to announce the upcoming event, A:lo:k 2024. This transformative event is dedicated to supporting the Education pillar of VT Seva, which uplifts: Schools for Tribal Children in remote areas Schools and Colleges for the Visually Challenged (Nethra Vidyalaya) An Evening @ A:lo:k Along with fundraising A:lo:k is also a joyful and rewarding experience! This Dinner Banquet features programs by Dynamic and Talented Youth Entertainment: Music and Dance Enlightening words from Local Organizations Event Date & Schedule Date : Saturday, December 7th, 2024, 5:30 PM onwards. Venue : VPSS HAVELI,11715 Bellfort Village Dr, Houston, TX 77031 Schedule 5:30 PM -6:30 PM:  Social Hour 6:30 PM onwards:  Program begins 8:30 PM - 9:00 PM:  Dinner Buffet Impact of Alok Over the past years A:lo:k has supported around 2189 underprivileged and tribal kids. This impact-driven fundraising campaign will not be complete without your support. In the year 2023, we witnessed the fruits of this fundraising campaign when our Nethra Vidyalaya students made their mark in presenting at the FIRST World Robotics Championship in Houston. Not only academically, even athletically these kids have achieved notable successes reflecting their dedication and hard work in both areas. Let us never forget the power we hold to shape a brighter, more compassionate world. Dollar a Day We humbly ask that you consider donating using one of the sponsorship levels below that resonates with you. If none of these speak to you, our custom donation option welcomes donations of every size. We seek your help to further the cause this year. $1 a day ($365/year per student) paves the way! If you would like to make a contribution, please click the donate button below

"Breast cancer is not just a disease that strikes at women. It strikes at the very heart of who we are as women: how others perceive us, how we perceive ourselves, how we live, work and raise our families — or whether we do these things at all." —Debbie Wasserman Schultz Thank you to all our amazing walkathon participants , sponsors and volunteers without who we couldn't have crossed our goal . Breast cancer is something that can be easily cured with early detection . Most women not just in rural and illiterate groups but also well advanced women tend to ignore their health while taking care of many things . This is our humble effort to bring that awareness and save lives and have that mother support in every family with annual checkups and early care With the support of our participants , sponsors and volunteers we could raise . 120 breast cancer test kits 2 mega camps donations which will serve 500 women Our sincere thanks and gratitide to GATA ( Greater Austin Telangana Association  ) for their collabaration and donation for being the part of the great cause in taking care of the women health. Special thanks and gratitude to our platinum sponsor Prime developers who has sponsored tshirts and medals to our walkathon participants running for a cause . Special thanks to our guest speaker Manavata Srinivas Chowdary Alluri bringing awareness in keeping ourself healthy with yoga asanas and meditation techniques to eliminate impurities that can prevent cancerous cells from our body . Special thanks to our youth team led by Abhiram adult team Neetha Kaandoori , Siri Vuyyuru Dushyanth (GATA) and @Prashantivelaga for the efforts behind the screen in managing all in timely manner . Click here for pictures https://www.facebook.com/vtsevaaustin/posts/pfbid0ugd91H4wA2EtFwkQafHZb1ZvinoaHxyUzpTXHB2cTXLGr71cDDiPmbVc46FJxgZul Together, let's walk for a cause, spread awareness, and make a difference in the fight against breast cancer. "Join us for a meaningful morning of empowerment and support at our Breast Cancer Awareness Walkathon! So lace up your sneakers, gather your friends, and join us for a morning filled with purpose, camaraderie, and the joy of giving back.  Register now to secure your spot and be a part of something truly impactful! Date: June 15th Time: 7:30 am Location: Brushy Creek Lake Park Last day for Registration by Jun 5th This 5k walkathon isn't just about covering the distance; it's about coming together with like-minded individuals who share the same passion for making a difference. Together, we'll stride forward for hope, knowing that every step we take brings us closer to our goal of spreading awareness and providing support to those in need. So lace up your sneakers, gather your friends, and join us for a morning filled with purpose, camaraderie, and the joy of giving back. Your monetary donations would help us continue our awareness camps in India and Nepal to reduce breast cancer victims. Sponsor for Breast or cervical cancer kit ($25/kit) Sponsor for medicines (25 /head ) Sponsor a camp ($250 - 50 women screening ) ($500 - 100 women screening ) ($1000 - 200 women screening ) "We are thrilled to announce our collaboration with the Greater Austin Telangana Association (GATA) this year, as we join forces to create an even greater impact in our breast cancer awareness camps in Telangana. By registering for our Breast Cancer Awareness Walkathon, you are not only supporting our vital awareness camps but also contributing to the collaborative efforts of GATA and our organization to make a meaningful impact on breast cancer awareness and support services in Telangana and other states in India. Together, let's make a difference. Register now to be a part of this inspiring collaboration and help us create positive change in Telangana. We look forward to walking alongside you!" We can't wait to see you there!" Want to support our mission ? Your participation in our annual 5K will help us spread the mission and keep our local communities strong and healthy. Your monetary donations would help us continue our awareness camps in India and Nepal to reduce breast cancer victims. Sponsor for Breast or cervical cancer kit ($25/kit) Sponsor for medicines (25 /head ) Sponsor a camp ($250) - 50 women screening ) ($500 - 100 women screening ) ($1000 - 200 women screening ) Donate Here Special Thanks to our Sponsors

November 30th, 2024 Atlanta VT Seva youths participated in the Meals By Grace event on November 30, 2024 in which they sorted, packed, loaded food items for the needy families of North Georgia. During Holiday season(month of December)these families are in desperate need of food items to take care of their children. We are very happy to help the needy families Georgia so children can go to bed Happy not Hungry. It’s a great gratifying experience for us 🙏 November 17th, 2024 Atlanta VT Seva 30 youth members participated in the Meals By Grace event on November 17, 2024 in which they sorted, packed, loaded food items for the needy families of Georgia. These families are in desperate need of food items to take care of their children. We are very happy to help the needy families of Georgia so that their children can go to bed Happy not Hungry. It’s a great gratifying experience for us 🙏 July 7th, 2024 Atlanta VT Seva youths participated in the Meals By Grace event on July 7, 2024 in which they sorted, packed, loaded food items for the needy families of North Georgia. When schools are closed (June and July months) these families are in desperate need of food items to take care of their children. We are very happy to help the needy families Georgia so children can go to bed Happy not Hungry. It’s a great gratifying experience for us! June 24th, 2024 Atlanta VT Seva youths participated in the Meals By Grace event on June 24, 2024 in which they sorted, packed, loaded food items for the needy families of North Georgia. When schools are closed (June and July months)these families are in desperate need of food items to take care of their children. We are very happy to help the needy families Georgia so their children can go to bed Happy not Hungry. It’s a great gratifying experience for us! March 10th, 2024 Atlanta VT Seva youths participated in Meals By Grace on March 10, 2024. They sorted, packed, and delivered food to the needy families of North America. Being part of MBG mission, our goal here is to bring food, hope & transformation to the children and families in need, so that children can go to bed HAPPY not hungry! January 28th, 2024 Today 30 Atlanta youths participated in the ‘Meals By Grace’ (MBG) activity in which they sorted, packed, and delivered food to the needy families of North America. Being part of MBG mission, our goal here is to bring food, hope & transformation to the children and families in need, so that children can go to bed HAPPY not hungry! October 22nd, 2023 On October 22nd, 50 of our youth attended another meals by grace event. This event is so close to our youths as it shows their direct impact on the community. The volunteers They sort, pack, and deliver fruits, breads, veggies, deserts, juices, etc to families in the North Georgia area. We had a huge increase in volunteers since the last event, as the word spread quickly through the students. The food is then distributed to schools near the area for students to eat during breakfast and lunch, provided by the school. This is a great initiative taken by the government to fight child hunger within the community. This represents the small steps being taken to reduce child hunger around the world. Another reason why our youth religiously likes to attend the Meals by Grace event! Great Job youth!! July 2nd Event Atlanta VT Seva youths & adults participated in Meals By Grace (MBG) activity on July 2nd. They sorted, packed, and delivered fruits, breads, veggies, deserts, juices etc to the needy families of North Georgia. During summer vacation, these families have no or very less food to feed their children. The children excitedly wait for their school to open so they can get good breakfast, lunch, and snack at school. Our youths volunteer at MBG very often, it’s a gift of gratitude by Atlanta youths! More than 20 VT Seva Atlanta Youth participated in Meals by Grace event which is held at Midway United Methodist Church, Atlanta. Meals by Grace is an organization that provides nutritious meals to individuals and families facing food scarcity. VT Youth helped with sorting all the food from the truck into different sections like produce, bread, meat and canned foods. Then the Loading team sorted all of these products into different boxes depending on how big the family is and what their specific food requirements are. Then all the volunteers had an opportunity to help load these boxes into the cars of designated drivers so that they can deliver the food to those who need them. Thank you VT Seva for such a wonderful opportunity to youth!

November 24th 2024 VT Seva Atlanta’s Books for Africa Drive - A Huge Success! On November 24, 2024, over 50 youth volunteers came together to make a difference through VT Seva Atlanta’s Books for Africa drive. Collectively, they gathered an incredible 1,500 books and 500 new notebooks for children in Africa. We are immensely proud of our VT Seva youth for their generosity and commitment to empowering African children through education. Education is the great equalizer, and books are the foundation of a strong educational system. For many children in Africa, the gift of books is truly a gift of hope . The collected items were delivered to the Books for Africa Warehouse , the only drop-off facility of its kind in the entire USA. This journey from collection to warehouse offered students a comprehensive perspective on their impact, emphasizing the significance of their efforts from start to finish June 16th 2024 Why Books For Africa? We believe that education is the great equalizer in the world, and books are at the foundation of a strong educational system. For many children in Africa, the gift of books truly is a gift of Hope Access to an education is one of the only opportunities young people have to end the cycle of poverty and attain a better quality of life than previous generations. Books For Africa works to help children who otherwise would not attend school by supplying educational materials to reduce or eliminate education costs. Most African children who attend school have never owned a book of their own. In many classrooms, 10-20 students share one textbook. Many people in the United States take these educational necessities for granted, but children in Africa cherish books. VT Seva Atlanta team strives to create a culture of literacy and provide the tools of empowerment to African children. On June 16, 2024, we collected 1,500 Books and 500 Notebooks. This is the highest amount of books we have ever collected so far in a single book drive. Our youths are super happy to empower their African friends through Books of Africa project! Dec 9th 2023 Atlanta VT Seva youths feel joy in sharing their books for their friends in Africa and we collected more than 1500 books on Dec 9, 2023. It’s a great eco-friendly project to re-use and recycle books to save on paper and also spread literacy in Africa. In 2023, Books For Africa shipped approximately 4,029,000 books, valued at over $32.6 million, to 32 African countries, the most books ever shipped by Books For Africa in a single year. We are very fortunate that VT Seva Atlanta has shipped 5,000 books in 2023 by conducting 3 book drives in a year and were able to do small contribution to spread literacy in Africa! There is a saying by Dr. Seuss, ‘The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go’, and we hope that our books will empower African children with knowledge and create pathways to accomplish their dreams. ‘Books For Africa’ is a simple project but its impact is trans­formative. It transform lives of African children and VT Seva Atlanta youths are very fortunate to be part of this positive transformation! July 2023 More than 50+ youths participated in Books For Africa Drive today. We donated more than 1200 books for African children. It’s a kid-to-kid project - Atlanta Kids helping African kids in spreading literacy in Africa 🌍. Mehar lead this Books for Africa drive. This is our Round 2 of Books For Africa in this year. In April, we donated 1500 books for the same. They also need school supplies like crayons, pencils, erasers, notebooks, etc. and we'll do our School Supply Drive in Nov, it will be a Thanks Giving gift from Atlanta VT youths to African youths!

Join us for our annual SADAYA event. Celebrating the success, independence, and strength of the visually challenged students. We cordially invite you to participate in Sadaya, VT Seva Cary’s annual event dedicated to supporting visually challenged students. Sadaya is more than just a celebration—it's a movement that fosters inclusion, empowerment, and hope. By joining us, you’ll contribute to a cause that uplifts visually challenged students, giving them the tools and confidence they need to express their creativity, develop life skills, and shine in their unique ways. Date: Dec 8, 2024 Time: 4 PM Onwards Location: HSNC Cultural Hall, 309 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, NC 27560.

Do you want to help donate items to senior citizens? Then this activity is for you! Some of the ways you can help are listed down below. All items are donated to the New Century Hospice Center. Thank you for helping out! Socks Drive Socks are a important part for senior citizens in all seasons. As part of this experience, it is imperitive that our elders remain warm in the latter years of their life. Show your love and care for nursing home residents by conducting a socks drive. Thank You! Set up a bin outside your home to collect the socks (make sure its separate from any other box) send out a flyer to your community (duplicate the template page and change the address for the drop-off location. Once your flyer is ready, make sure it is locked so that the information will not be edited! Please do not tamper with locked flyers!) Make your cause known in your communities and ask for socks donations Should be new, soft and adult socks. They must be in wearable condition. Birthday Cards Creating birthday cards as a volunteer is a meaningful way to spread joy and show others they are remembered and valued. These cards can brighten the day of individuals in senior living facilities where celebrations might be rare. A simple, personalized card carries the power to make someone feel special, fostering a sense of connection and warmth. This small gesture can have a big impact, providing a moment of happiness and comfort to those who need it most. Thank You! Form a group of people who want to make birthday cards This activity can also be done by yourself, but it is suggested to do it with a group Create 15 birthday cards. These cards can be as simple or elegant as you desire. Make sure to have big letters so the seniors will be able to read you card without hassle. Once created, drop off cards at the New Century Hospice Center (make sure to say on behalf of VTSeva!) 15 cards count as 2 hours. Winter Hats Donating winter hats to seniors at the New Century Hospice Center is a thoughtful way to provide warmth and comfort to those who need it most. Many seniors, especially those in hospice care, can be more vulnerable to the cold, and a cozy hat can help them stay comfortable during the winter months. These hats also bring a sense of care and personal connection, reminding them that they are valued and supported during this season. Thank You! These hats can also be dropped off at the New Century Hospice Center (make sure to say on behalf of VTSeva!) Recent Events Our ECHS VTSeva club has made some wonderful birthday cards for the seniors at the New Century Hospice Center. Let’s applaud the members for their thoughtful work and look forward to more initiatives that touch hearts and strengthen bonds within our community! Awesome job ECHS! One amazing adult volunteer donated carefully knitted winter hats. Wonderful job!